Ramblers finish 2014 with third highest win percentage in team history

With a final overall record of 34-14 (.708), the 2014 Key West Ramblers finished the season with the third highest win percentage in team history. The only Key West teams to produce better win percentages were the 2012 (40-12, .769) and 2011 (35-13, .729) Rambler squads.

While its 34 wins fell six short of the team record, the 2014 Ramblers accomplished something that had not been done in their history - they won the EIHL postseason championship. And they did it in dominant fashion. Behind a monster day from all-star second baseman Andrew Redman, Key West won 8-0 over Dubuque in the semifinals and 10-2 over Farley in the title game (both on Aug. 10).

Redman went a combined 6-for-7 with three home runs, a double and seven RBIs on that championship Sunday as part of one of the best seasons ever for a Rambler hitter. The Clarke University standout fell just short of a single-season team record with his batting average of .414 over 42 games. However, he did break a team record with his 50 runs scored. He also recorded a 1.167 OPS, seven home runs, 39 RBIs, 10 doubles and 14 stolen bases.

His efforts also helped pave the way for the Ramblers to claim the Farley Tournament title. During the annual event at Farley, Key West defeated Dubuque, Peosta, Dyersville and then host Farley. The championship game with Farley will go down as a classic as it took 12 innings to decide a winner. Rambler starting pitcher Jordan Hohensee covered all 12 innings and first baseman Chris Briggs delivered a walk-off RBI single for a 5-4 win.

Hohensee served as Key West's horse all season, breaking a team single-season record with 96.1 innings pitched. The Clarke graduate started the all-star game on the mound for the EIHL and finished his season with a record of 9-5 to go along with a 1.87 ERA, .211 opponent batting average and 83 strikeouts.

Shortstop Dan Spain came through with another great season and was the third Rambler to represent the team as an all-star game starter. Spain hit .333 with three home runs, 30 RBIs, 12 stolen bases and a team high 16 doubles while playing his usual stellar defense at shortstop.

After a slow start, Briggs got hot and produced solid numbers. Typically the team's No. 4 hitter in the lineup, Briggs batted .323 with a .411 on-base percentage, five home runs, 38 RBIs and seven stolen bases while playing in all 47 games (team record). His 28 career home runs are the most in team history.

One of the season's biggest surprises was right-handed pitcher Kenny Capesius, who carried an unblemished 8-0 record until being tagged with his first loss in the final game of the season. Capesius routinely frustrated hitters despite his lack of an overpowering fastball. He turned in a sparkling 1.84 ERA in large part because of his impeccable control - just nine walks in 63.2 innings of work.

The Ramblers played their best baseball during the period of May 20 through June 24 when they went 13-1, won the Farley Tournament and outscored their opponents by a combined total of 116-27. Included in that stretch was a 10-game winning streak - the longest in team history, surpassing the nine-game win streak of the 40-victory 2012 team.

In 2014, the Ramblers bounced back from the disappointment of a 20-20 record in 2013. From a statistical standpoint, the 2014 Key West squad was even better than the 2012 edition that holds the record for wins in a season. In 2014, the Ramblers set new team hitting records for batting average (.309), on-base percentage (.395) and runs (303). In addition, a dominant pitching staff broke team marks for ERA (2.17) and opponent batting average (.195).

While familiar stars like Briggs, Redman and Spain again shined, the emergence of regulars like Anthony Ruden, Brett LaMere and Ben Oglesby and pitchers such as Capesius and Austin Bradley proved just as important. Key West needed such contributions considering veterans Tim Carty and Justin Kuhle both registered career lows for games played in 2014.

With a record of 211-117 since the start of the 2008 campaign, the Ramblers will be expected to be one of the heavyweights on the Eastern Iowa semi-pro baseball circuit once again in 2015. While the Ramblers may have won 'only' two tournaments in 2014, they dominated league play with a combined EIHL and Prairie League record of 24-6. Further, they had an overall run differential of plus-188. Key West's place among the elite area teams has been well established.

Bernard Tournament game moved to Aug. 30

Sunday's scheduled first-round Bernard Tournament game versus Farley was postponed. It has been moved to Saturday, Aug. 30. Game time is set for 4:30 p.m. from Bernard.

Bernard Tournament bracket

Key West will begin action at the Bernard Tournament on Sunday when it takes on Farley at 3 p.m. View the complete bracket below.

Peosta Tournament bracket released

Key West will begin play at the Peosta Tournament on Sunday (Aug. 17) as part of the 16-team bracket. The Ramblers (34-12) take on Bellevue at 4:30 p.m. that day. View the complete bracket below.

Key West ends Prairie League regular season with win

The Prairie League regular season came to an end on Monday as Key West (34-12) topped East Dubuque, 8-3, in Peosta. The Ramblers used five different pitchers, including four making their first appearances of the season, to navigate the seven-inning victory.

Brett LaMere got his first start on the mound and fired three shutout innings before giving way to Chad Crabill. Tony Ebel, who worked 1.1 innings, picked up the win, benefiting from Key West's four-run fifth-inning.

Six different Ramblers each collected one hit apiece on the night. Ben Oglesby and Anthony Ruden both notched RBI singles during the big fifth inning.

Key West has qualified for the Prairie League playoffs for the seventh time in the last eight years. Pairings will be announced when available.

Redman powers Ramblers to EIHL title

All Andrew Redman did was go a combined 6-for-7 with three home runs, a double and seven RBIs on Sunday as Key West (33-12) cruised past Dubuque, 8-0, in the EIHL semifinals and Farley, 10-2, in the championship game in Rickardsville. The Ramblers (33-12) already owned three all-time Prairie League championships but were still in search of their first-ever EIHL postseason banner entering Sunday's action.

Redman, an all-star second baseman, homered in all three of his at bats in the semifinal victory over Dubuque, giving him his fifth, sixth and seventh long balls of the season. Redman cracked a two-run homer in both the first and third innings and then a three-run blast in the fourth to provide plenty of support for starting pitcher Jordan Hohensee.

The power surge continued in Sunday's late afternoon title game battle with Farley. The Ramblers found themselves down 2-0 after an inning, but first baseman Chris Briggs got them on the board with a home run to lead off the second. Then in the third, center fielder Ben Oglesby (2-for-3 vs. Farley) connected on a homer that punctuated a seven-run third inning. The outburst staked Key West to a 9-2 lead.

The hot Rambler bats helped enact the eight-run rule in both of Sunday's playoff games. The semifinal contest ended when Luis Reyes singled in Brett LaMere in the bottom of the fifth to make it an eight-run margin. Similarly, the title game concluded with Jake Schaeffer's run-scoring single in the bottom of the sixth.

On the day, Key West pounded out 25 hits - 16 of which came against Farley, who went with Andy Seabrooke on the mound. Three Ramblers had two or more hits in the semifinal - Redman (3-for-3), LaMere (2-for-3) and Schaeffer (2-for-3) - and another five did the same in the title game - Chad Crabill (3-for-3), LaMere (3-for-4), Redman (3-for-4), Briggs (2-for-3) and Oglesby (2-for-3).

Hohensee (9-4) held Dubuque to three hits as part of a five-inning shutout. He struck out four in the process of setting a new team single season record for innings pitched (91.1).

In the championship, Anthony Ruden (6-2), who allowed two first-inning runs, kept Farley scoreless over the final five frames. He surrendered just a single earned run on four hits and one walk while striking out five.

In last week's action, Key West also topped Balltown, 7-1, on Aug. 8 and Epworth, 10-2, on Aug. 9. The Ramblers have now won four-straight games.

Still to come: Three tournaments remain in the 2014 season - the Prairie League playoffs, the Peosta Tournament and the Bernard Tournament. Pairings/brackets will be posted when available. The Ramblers will also host East Dubuque on Monday (Aug. 11) at 7 p.m. in the final Prairie League regular-season game of the season.

Unofficial league MVP? If the EIHL was to name an official MVP for the 2014 season, how could it be anyone other than Andrew Redman? The Clarke University standout has a slash line of .424/.530/.674 (AVG/OBP/SLG). He also has seven home runs, 39 RBIs and 14 stolen bases in 40 games.

Ramblers win first-ever EIHL postseason title

Key West accomplished something on Sunday that it had never done in its history - win the EIHL postseason title. The top-seeded Ramblers rolled past Dubuque, 8-0, and Farley, 10-2, in afternoon games decided by the eight-run rule on the way to winning the crown. The Ramblers blasted five home runs on the day - three coming from Andrew Redman in the semifinal victory over Dubuque. Chris Briggs and Ben Oglesby also crushed a home run apiece.

Key West (33-12) captured Prairie League championships in 2008, 2011 and 2012. The Ramblers have also now reached the 30-win mark for the fourth time in the last five seasons and for the fifth time in the past seven years.

Look for more coverage of Key West's championship on Monday.